Month: April 2018

YouTube is such a wonderful space. I get lost there on several occasions. Don’t you? In fact, it is one of my main sources of inspiration. Check out my favourite channels that I visit for a little pick me up, advice and motivation.

This channel is one of my many nighttime sleep aids. It isn’t just for night-time though. Anytime you get a bout of monkey mind and your brain needs a rest you can find something here to serve you.

My list would not be complete without this channel. I remember one night my mind was feeling so full I could barely concentrate. Something just told me to try meditation and I ended up on this channel. She had me at bliss in four minutes. Don’t think you have the patience for meditation. Trust me if I can do it anyone can. On this channel, she also covers exercise and total body health. Basically, it caters to your mind-body and spirit.

Yoga is one of my best-loved activities for balance and overall well-being. Never tried it: well check out this post to learn about all the benefits of yoga.I think everyone already knows about this channel but I had to include it. She has yoga for every mood, purpose and ailment, She also incorporates the use of affirmations and mantras. Her videos just leave me feeling oh so good.

What are some of your favourite YouTube channels? Share them in the comments below.

Hi there lovelies. Welcome to my third entrepreneur feature. Today is all about handmade jewellery. Beads and stones and charms oh my 🙂 If you have not heard of this company already let me introduce you to Wrist Culture. Wrist Culture offers exquisite handmade designs for any and every occasion. I am kind of addicted at the moment. I am currently about to buy my fourth piece. Something about this brand just screams luxury and classic elegance. I recently had a short interview with the owner as you know I love to promote small business and I also love to shop. I joke with him all the time that he can take all of my money.

When was Wrist Culture founded and what inspired you to start the business?

Wrist Culture’s debuted in May 2016 with the Royal Court Collection. The two-year anniversary is a little over a month away, May 12th.

The concept of Wrist Culture was to create beautifully beaded bracelet collections with pieces which are both limited in their number but also accessible in terms of price.

Share with us your main sources of creative inspiration.

As cliché as it sounds, music would have to be one of my main sources of inspiration. Listening to artists like Lana Del Rey, Rihanna, The Killers even Rick Ross provides me with such wonder as to “What would the person singing or being sung about wear on their wrist?” Additionally, I have a background in retail fashion marketing where I always tried to tap into the minds of my clients’ customers to anticipate what they’d want from season to season.

Tell us what makes your brand unique?

For me, each bracelet is a work of art designed to be timeless so as to never be too classic or too outlandish. No disrespect to my contemporaries and predecessors, but Wrist Culture has a heavy focus on originality of design, quality of craftsmanship and the after-sales service to ensure customers can enjoy their pieces for years, not just weeks or months. To that end the components are tested, coated to prevent premature tarnishing, updated when better options come along and of course, the First Repair Free service and affordable Bracelet Refresh service to fix, update or upgrade a piece.

What was your favourite collection and why?

That’s pretty tough to answer because each collection will, of course, be special to me for their own reasons but I’ll tell you my 3 favourite collections.

1. The Royal Court Collection which was my very first collection. It introduced the world to Wrist Culture and showed my contenders that this brand was seriously revolutionizing how bracelet designs in Barbados and by extension the Caribbean were done.

2. The Higher Power Collection which came immediately after the Royal Court Collection was one of Wrist Culture’s most successful collections and it appealed to both the religious and free-spirited. Using bone and wood really gave the pieces a feeling of connectivity to both the earth and to the heavens & the spirit.

3. The 2018 Dragon Collection which is a rebirth of the 2017 Dragon Collection. This time around it featured three tiers of designs to reflect tastes and price points. I love this fledgeling collection because it shows the evolution from the 2017 version to the 2018 version and features some of the most beautiful and admittedly polarizing designs of Wrist Culture’s history. Very symbolic as we approach the second year!

Do you have a signature piece?

While each collection does feature an ultra limited edition design, my signature piece is one I wear almost every day. It features Onyx, Blue Goldstone, Swarovski crystals and an Arc du Triomphe charm I picked up in Paris on a sterling silver jump ring. Only one of its kind.

Do you create custom orders and how can someone contact you to have their design made?

Custom orders do comprise a large share of the work coming out of Wrist Culture, and we encourage our customers to be creative and we will work together to create their dream pieces. Simply email us at thewristculture@gmail.com to get started!

Two pieces that I have purchased

What are the goals of thebusiness?

Ultimately, the main goals of Wrist Culture are to inspire other designers to challenge their creations and evolve. Also to get to a point where Wrist Culture can branch out into fine jewellery including real gold and silver links and have charms forged specifically for the brand.

An exclusive sneakpeek at one of the pieces of the Royal Court Collection which will be available in May to celebrate the second anniversary of Wrist Culture.

A piece from The Royal Court Collection Available in May

If you want to get your hands on one of these gorgeous pieces or you have an idea for a personalised piece in mind you can email @thewrisculture@gmail .com or check them out onInstagram.

A reason, A season, A lesson, A blessing. Everything in life falls into these four categories, sometimes we have a cocktail of them all because what would life be if we did not have a shake-up once in a while? DO you believe in everything for a reason? Sometimes I have the unshakeable faith that everything will work out on other days I want to stay in bed and binge-watch my life away. How can we justify everything for a reason when the reasons seemingly make no sense. We are not here to judge life or fix it we are here to live it. Sometimes all we can do just live; especially when we consider that most of it is out of our control. We make mistakes.fall down, get up or just lie there. The reactions and your attitude really are all up to you. The time is going to pass anyway so make the best ofit. The most imperfect and dysfunctional moments often make the best stories.

What season are you currently in? An endless winter, a hot summer burn? Or is it hurricane season with no sunshine in sight? Whatever experiences you are having at this moment know that they are essential for your growth. Without challenges, without loss, we would never learn how to appreciate anything at all. Everyone and everything that you encounter has something to teach you. You may not get the lesson right away but the pieces of the puzzle always fall into place somehow. One day you will just have one of those aha moments and you will go…so that is why it happened that way. I had to go through this to get to this point. When you look back on all the things that made you sad, angry or crazy you will be stronger for it .

Remember if you aren’t learning you aren’t growing. Three years ago, after a fairly tumultuous relationship; I have to admit I was a sad and bitter mess. I looked in the mirror and literally wondered who was this staring back me. There had to be more to life than this pain because when you really and truly immerse yourself in another human being , the separation is so gut-wrenching. We have all been through it. It literally feels like it bruises your soul. Thoughts of what if and blame and guilt and all those emotions that typically I really do not want to deal with. Today I can look back on it and accept the lesson . It is no longer a bitter nasty pill for me to swallow but it taught me resilience and how to forgive. ( I also do not feel like setting his stuff on fire anymore).It took me such a long time not to take the actions of others personally. People will act how they act and they do what they do.At the end of the day, we are all trying to do our best. My part in it all is not to retaliate or react. I refuse to let anything threaten my peace. Karma is a mirror and I want nothing but good things coming back at me. Not everything you lose is a loss, you take the experiences as opportunities for growth. Look at yourself today, right this every minute at how far you have come, how much you have been through and you are still standing and dare I say you are pretty awesome too! Don’t get bitter, get better . Turn all of that fiery energy into something good. Make it work for you.

How do you view life? Is it a blessing or the bitch that stole your joy? Let’s put things in perspective with a simple checklist. Put your hand to your heart and feel it beating, are your breathing? Are you clothed?Are you loved? Then really you have all you need at this moment.Life is all about being in the now. Now is after all the only moment we have. Make today a day of appreciation. It can’t always be sunshine and rainbows but you can always find the strength and the wisdom to value all of the good that you have in your life. In a world full of dark clouds be a ray of sunshine. Some days you have to dig deep but always remain steadfast and find the light.

If it does not fit don’t force it Let it flow, set it free In this life, you can never lose or fail Just look within you will find everything you need It is never to late to be reborn, reinvent, write a new story Don’t fuel the fire of worry, Your happiness was never meant to buried, snuffed out by these burdens Life is a learning curve, a work in progress don’t ignore the lessons Regroup, reflect, shake it off When you feel like giving up Put on those big girl panties and as they say, try, try again.Written By Tachira Wiltshire

How do you deal with life challenges? Do you have a favourite quote or mantra that gets you through the tough times?